Recently, an article was published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal in which Matís' employees are co-authors.
Arsenic is a well-known toxin as well as a carcinogen, however, the toxicity of arsenic depends on its chemical form. Arsenolipids have so far received very little attention compared to other forms of arsenic, despite the fact that they can be a significant part of the total arsenic in seafood. Much remains to be seen, both in terms of chemical formulas and structures, as well as the toxicity of these arsenic compounds. The article shows how arsenolipids can be identified and quantified without having specific arsenolipid standards at hand. Using a signal from the ICP mass spectrometer, for a known arsenic standard, a special response factor could be calculated. This response factor could then be used to quantify the unknown chemical form of arsenolipids. Among other things, one fatty acid (C24H38AsO3) was identified and identified for the first time. It has a smooth number of carbons, which is unusual because all previously found arsenic fatty acids have had an odd number of carbons.
Link to science article (here).
For further information, contact Ásta Heiðrún Pétursdóttir at Matís, tel. 422-5000.